Elk /European English/, Moose /American English/ (Alces alces)

The elk is the biggest terrestrial mammal in our country. It is spread all over the country except for Gotland. In the last 20-30 years the elk population has increased very strongly, and today we have a population of some 300 000 animals. There are many reasons for this increase, but the shooting regulations and larger amounts of feed due to new forestry  methods (clear-felling) are the major ones. The bull has its largest antlers at the age of 7-10 years. Then they gradually become smaller. There are two types of antlers: palmate and cervine.